BALD EAGLE SIGHTNINGS ARE ON THE RISE ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY...USUALLY AT A DISTANCE. BUT ONE FAMILY GOT VERY CLOSE.. WHEN 2-EAGLES DECIDED TO SETTLE A DISPUTE JUST OUTSIDE THEIR BACK DOOR. NEWS 8 NATURALIST JACK HUBLEY IS HERE WITH WHAT'S GOING ON..IN TONIGHT'S WILD MOMENT. 3 That white head and tail, that 7-foot wingspan - our national emblem is a real standout. STANDUP: Getting a glimpse of a bald eagle at any distance is always exciting. But, imagine walking up to a pair of exeagles and snapping photos at a distance of 5 feet! That's exactly what happened to Jeff and Heidi Brown on the last day of 2013, when Jeff spotted an eagle within 60 feet of their suburban home on the east end of Lancaster. "We both threw on our coats and ran outside with our camera's," says Heidi.And they found not one, but two bald eagles on the ground.Well, Jeff and Heidi, I would agree, this certainly is a big deal - particularly to the eagles. I sent your photos to several biologists, and all agree that these two are definitely not on their honeymoon. This may well have been a battle between two males over a nesting territory. The bird on the left seems to be getting the worst of it. Thirty years ago, with only two or three nesting pairs in the entire state, witnessing such a confrontation would havewi been mighty rare.But, since then, there's been a dramatic increase in eagle numbers - 271 nesting pairs recorded last summer. So, scollisions like this are destined to increase as mated pairs defend territories against young ai up-and-comers. Heidi told me that this cage fight lasted, off and on, for more than four hours before both eagles flew away.leBoth may have survived that encounter, but bald eagles are equipped with eqlong, dagger-like talons and sharp beaks, so my guess is that at least one of them was mighty sore on New Year's Day. I'm Jack Hubley, News 8. 3 LANCASTER COUNTY IS SECOND IN THE STATE FOR THE MOST NESTING PAIRS OF BALD EAGLES. IF YOU HAVE A WILDLIFE QUESTION FOR JACK.. E-MAIL IT TO "NEWS 8 AT W-G-A-L DOT COM".. AND YOU MAY

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